Aurora destinations · Norway
Northern lights in Longyearbyen
Svalbard · 78.22°N, 15.65°E
Longyearbyen lies under the auroral oval, so aurora is often overhead: a dark, clear night has good odds even when activity is low (magnetic latitude 76°). Light pollution: the sky here is dark.
Open the live forecast for Longyearbyen
At a glance
- Good odds: from any Kp at a dark site
- Best months: February, December and January
- Best weeks in the coming year: 30 Dec – 12 Jan · 27 Jan – 9 Feb · 24 Feb – 16 Mar
- Too light for aurora: 31 Mar – 14 Sept (bright nights)
- Polar night: 27 Oct – 15 Feb (the sun doesn’t rise)
- Midnight sun: 20 Apr – 25 Aug (the sun doesn’t set; no aurora)
Month by month
A typical night: real darkness and moon, average aurora activity (Kp 2014–2025) and satellite cloud cover (NASA, 2001–2025). Long-range odds, not a forecast.
| Month | Typical night | Clear sky | Dark hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13% | 26% | 21 h |
| February | 14% | 28% | 14 h |
| March | 10% | 31% | 5 h |
| April | Too light | 32% | – |
| May | Too light | 26% | – |
| June | Too light | 19% | – |
| July | Too light | 18% | – |
| August | Too light | 18% | – |
| September | 5% | 18% | 3 h |
| October | 10% | 21% | 13 h |
| November | 12% | 24% | 20 h |
| December | 13% | 26% | 24 h |
Tips for Longyearbyen
- Clouds decide most nights: check the hour-by-hour forecast, and the “Clearer skies nearby” card for a spot within a drive.
- Aurora is usually best between about 22:00 and 02:00 local time; give your eyes 15 minutes in the dark.
- The sky is already dark here: find an open view to the north.